Elevator.



No. 688,983. Patented Dec. i7, |90Ii.

L. C. BABCUCK.

ELEVATUR.

(Application led Apr. 27, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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ATTORNEY Uterine STATES Arnim OFFICE.,

LUOIEN O. BABOOOK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,983, dated December 17, 1901.

Application filed April 27, 1901. Serial Nol 57,659. (No model.)

To cir/ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, LUGIEN C. BABcocx, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Elevators, of which the following is a specification.

The invention is adapted to serve either for freight or passengers. I will describe it as serving for freight in a warehouse. The weight of the car may be partly balanced by ordinary means, if desired.

I have in patents to lne-one dated March 2l, 1899, No. 621,313, and another dated June 5, 1900,No. 651,095-set forth means for raising and lowering the car by means of large straight tubes extending up and down on opposite sides of the elevator-well, each having a continuous narrow slot on the inner side, through which extends a fiat web of steel connecting from the car to a piston, which nicely lls the tube, with efficient means for supplying air at the required pressure in the base of each tube, so that the descent may be controlled and the car be elevated by the pressure of the air under the pistons. The present invention employs the same structure so far as yet described.

According to the present invention the slot is fortiiied by clips carried by the car and is covered on the inside by a nearly stationary instead of a traveling band. The band extends continuously from the top to the bottom with only sufficient slack to allowthe required manipulation as the car moves up and down. This construction avoids friction.

I provide a chisel-ended device, which I will term a plow, on each tube to move up and down with the car and aid in ejecting each band from its seat and allow its smooth return'as the car moves up and down. I fork the liat web after it has extended outward from the car quite through the narrow slot, and do this either by forging the steel in such shape or by riveting or bolting on parts to connect with the pistou-rods and allow the latter and their attached pistons to support the car. I employ wheels to properly guide the slack portion of the band While it is making its detour in the tube while the car is passing any given point.

The following is a description of what I v5 is on the line 5 5.

consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a vertical section. The remaining figures are on a somewhat larger scale. They are all horizontal sections of a portion in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is on the line 2 2. Fig. 3 is on the line 3 3. Fig. t is on the line 4 4E. Fig. Fig. Gis on the line 6 G. Fig. 7 is on theline 7 7. Fig. Sis on the line 8 8, and Fig. 9 is on the line 9 9 in said Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the gures where they appear.

A A are the tubes, each having alongitudinal opening ct on the side toward the car. These tubes and their contents are counterparts each of the other, and a description of one. will serve for both.

B is the car, and B a plane web of steel, thin and fiat like a saw-plate, extending 0utward from the car through the narrow aperture a into the interior of the tube, where it is thickened and branched and strongly united to the two piston-rods, to be presently described.

B2 is a piston connected to the car by piston-rods B3 and the web B. There is a liberal opening in the line of the axis of the cylcient slack in the band to allow it to make a slight detour where the car passes it in moving upward or downward.

B4 is a flat piece,which I will call the plow, having chisel-shaped ends extending up and down in the tube, iitting in the channel a along a considerable space, which is left uncovered by the absence of the flexible band O where it is making its detour. This band O does not move up and down with the car, but in some respects corresponds to the band similarly marked in my previous patents. According to my present invention it is secured to the tube at the top and bottom and lies for most of its length flat in the shallow channel c', but with considerable slack.

The piston B2 is provided with packing (not shown) to allow it to match in the interior of ICO the tube, so that it is practically air-tigl1t and l'moves easily, so that a sufficient pressure ing grated valve G, fitting on the under side' thereof. This valve ,is operated through a packed stem G' and connections from a handlever F, operated by the attendantin the car. The lilik E, extending in the opposite direction to operate the valve in the opposite piston, is connected to give a corresponding-motion. The turning of the level' in one direction opens both valves and turning in the opposite direction closes both.

It will be noted that the parts B3, which I term piston-rods, are each flat or slightly curved in cross-section and set wellout toward the periphery ot' the piston B2. The bottoms of the tubes A' A are united by a tube A and the tops by a tube A2. The lower tube A connects to a reservoir A3 of compressed air, which is kept supplied by an air- .pump. (Not shown.) The upper tube A2 communicates with the open air.

The turning valve NV turns on an axis W and is controlled bythe attendant through the ordinary cord K, running over a pulley V' at the top and under a pulley V2 at the bottom. The corresponding valve V in the upper lube A2 is similarly operated bya corresponding cord L, as shown in my patent ot June, 1900, above referred to. This should be closed when the car is allowed to descend.

The provisions for temporarily dislodging the band C from its seat across the aperture d to allow the thin plate B to extend through the aperture d along the part which is at the level of the car and for returning the band to its place again in the channel d after the car has passed are as follows:

M M are the wheels carried on pins set in the pair of piston-rods B2. The band C is delected outward, so as to extend around on the outside of these wheels, running easily through a tight-fitting slot provided in the piston B2 and properly packed.

Q Q are wheels also carried between the piston-rods B3 and arranged to press the flexible band C tightly into its seat in the groove a. The space between each wheel Q and the adjacent chisel-shaped end of the plow is limited. It is in theory onlyjust suliicient to allow the passage ot' the band. As the car moves downward the lower chisel-shaped end Vof the plow B4 insinuates itself between the band and its seat and dislodges itout ofthe groove d. The band after being thus displaced is guided outside of the wheel M, and as the car descends the band is again returned to its seat above the plow B4 and is pressed again home in its place in the groove d by the upper wheel Q. Whenthe car rises, a

corresponding movement of the band occurs in the opposite direction.

It will of course be understood that the only motions ot the band are the movements of a portion at a time horizontally away from the car and thus away from its seat-groove c' and back again as the car passes.

There is a tendency of the aperture d to open too wide by reason of the pressure ofthe inclosed air. This is liable to be-further increased by the pressure of the tightly-packed piston-B2 and other parts, especially it there is any joltng from any cause as 'the car is passing. I defend against any too great opening of the aperture at points near the car by embracing the ridges or flanged edges in clips B7 carried with the car and thus fortifying it by pressing fairly on the two outer faces of the ridges. (See Fig. 9.)

The following is 4one of the methods, perhaps the best, in which compressed' air can be employed in my invention for elevating the car: While the caris at the lower terminal the Valve V at the upper end A is closed and the valve G in the piston B2 is opened sufficiently to permit the compressedv air to fill the tubes to any required extent. Then close the piston-valve G, and in order to ascend open the upper valve V Lto the eX- teut required for either a quick or a modified ascent., closing it some two or more feet before the arrival of the car at any desired stopping-point.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. Some of the features of this invention may be used without others. I can omit the clips B7. I can omit the plow B4 and depend on the wheels` M Q Q or can omit the wheels and after dislodging the band from its channel can lead the band about and return it by other means. I prefer the whole used together and proportioned and arranged about as shown.

I claim as my invention- 1. In'an elevator having tubes each with a continuous longitudinal aperture receiving an extension from the car and provisions for operating by air-pressure in such tubes,a flexible band C arranged to cover the joint, in combination with means carried withthe car for displacing and returning such band, all substantially as herein specified.

2. In an elevator having tubes each with a continuous longitudinal aperture receiving an extension from the car and provisions for operating by air-pressure the tubes A each formed with a projecting ridge extending up and. down on each side of the aperture ct and inclosing a channel d', in combination with one or more clips B7 carried by the car and arranged to aid in holding the joint to the proper limited width,all substantially as here- -in specified.

3. In an elevator having tubes each with a contlnuous longitudinal aperture receiving an extension from the car and provisions for IOO TIO

operatin g by air-pressure in such tubes,a flexible band C in each arranged to cover such aperture on the inside, permanently secured at each end with a sufficient excess of length, and the plow having Wedge-formed ends carriedwith the car arranged to aid in detachin g the band from its seat and allowing its return as the car moves up and down, all substantially as herein specified.

4. In an elevator having tubes each with a continuons longitudinal aperture receiving an extension from the car and provisions for operating by air-pressure in such tubes,a flexible band C arranged to cover such aperture on the inside permanently secured at each end with a sufficient excess of length, and the Wheels M Q Q carried With the car arranged to aid in detaching the hand from its seat and returning it again and pressing it home to form a tight joint as the car moves up and down, all substantially as herein specied.

5. In an elevator having tubes each with a continuous longitudinal aperture receiving an extension from the car and provisions for operating by air-pressu re in such tubes,a flexible band C arranged to cover such aperture on the inside permanently secured at each end with a sufficient excess ot' length and the plow B4 having Wedge-formed ends, and the wheels M Q Q carried with the car arranged to aid in detaching the band from its seat and returning it again and pressing it home to form a tight joint as the car moves up and down, all substantially as herein specified.

6. In an elevator having tubes each with a continuous longitudinal aperture receiving an extension from the car and provisions for operating by air-pressure in such tubes, the Webs B branched Within the tubes and piston-rods B3 and liberally-apertured pistons B2, in combination With each other and with a grated valve seat BG and a corresponding grated valve G and connections for operating the latter by the attendant in the car, all substantially as herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I aftix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LUCIEN C. BABCOCK.

Witnesses:

THos. H. WILLIAMS, FRANK I-I. MEEKER. 

